Pasta with Butternut Squash

This delicious Pasta with Butternut Squash also has mushrooms and just enough goat cheese to add an interesting flavor boost. And if you use the option to make this with Fiber Gourmet Light Penne, it has about 19 net carbs per serving!

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This delicious Pasta with Butternut Squash is a recipe I came up with that used half a two-pound package of pre-cut squash with some brown Cremini Mushrooms, a generous amount of chopped scallions, and just enough goat cheese to keep it interesting. And this is another recipe that shows how I’m a bit of a butternut squash addict; I’m always craving it at this time of year.

And even though I wrote a post about How to Peel and Cut Up a Butternut Squash, sometimes I can’t resist those package of pre-cut butternut squash that show up at Costco every fall. This recipe for Pasta with Butternut Squash does have a few steps, but it’s still quick enough for an easy week-night meal, and perfect for a meatless dinner. And if you make it with Fiber Gourmet Light Penne, it’s not that huge of a splurge on carbs!

What ingredients do you need?

(This is only a list of ingredients; please scroll down for complete printable recipe. Or if you use the JUMP TO RECIPE link at the top of the page, it will take you directly to the complete recipe.)

• Cremini Mushrooms (also called Baby Bellas)
• Olive Oil (affiliate link)
• butternut squash, cut into pieces about 3/4 inches square
• salt plus freshly ground black pepper to taste, to season the squash as it cooks
• pasta, use Fiber Gourmet Light Penne (affiliate link) for a lower-carb option
• green onions
• salt for pasta cooking water
• goat cheese
• freshly-grated Parmesan for serving, optional

What pasta did we use for the Pasta with Butternut Squash?

We originally used Penne pasta for this recipe, but you can use any similar shape. Or if you use the option to make this with Fiber Gourmet Light Penne (affiliate link) it will reduce the carbs to about 19 net carbs per serving.

What if you’re not a fan of goat cheese?

You can make Pasta with Butternut Squash using Feta or another creamy white cheese if you’re not a fan of the more pungent goat cheese, and some people might like to add some freshly grated Parmesan at the table. And if you’re a big goat cheese can like I am, you might want a bit more goat cheese.

Can you use more vegetables for this Pasta with Butternut Squash?

You can use more butternut squash in this recipe if you don’t mind increasing the carbs, and if you’d like to make a version that’s a bit lower in carbs you could double the mushrooms and use a smaller amount of pasta.

How to make Pasta with Butternut Squash:

(This is only a summary of the steps for the recipe; please scroll down for complete printable recipe. Or if you use the JUMP TO RECIPE link at the top of the page, it will take you directly to the complete recipe.)

1. If you’re cutting up a whole squash, I would do that first, before you cook the mushrooms. Here are my tips for How to Peel and Cut Up a Butternut Squash.
2. Wash mushrooms and cut into slices. 
3. Heat olive oil over medium high heat, add the mushrooms, and cook until they’re browned.
4. While mushrooms cook, measure out 2 cups of penne (use the 8 oz. box of Fiber Gourmet Light Penne) and start the salted pasta water boiling.
5. Cut butternut squash into smallish cubes. 
6. As soon as mushrooms are done, remove them to a bowl, add more olive oil, and cook the squash over medium to medium-high heat until the squash is softened and nicely browned.
7. Season squash with about 1/2 tsp. salt and a generous amount of freshly ground black pepper while it cooks.
8. Add the pasta to the boiling water when you start cooking the squash.
9. While the squash cooks, slice the green onions and measure goat cheese.
10. When the butternut squash is nicely browned and cooked through, turn heat to low and put mushrooms back into the pan to warm.
11. When pasta is done (about 10 minutes or until al dente), scoop out 1/2 cup of the pasta cooking water and drain pasta into a colander in the sink.
12. Put drained pasta back into the pot you cooked it in and stir in the goat cheese and let it melt. (I added about half the pasta water at this point.)
13. Then gently stir the cheese-coated pasta into the browned butternut squash and mushrooms in the frying pan. (Add the rest of the pasta water if you need it. I thought mine was “saucy” enough.)
14. Gently stir in the scallions and serve hot, with Parmesan cheese to add at the table if desired.

Want more ideas for cooking Butternut Squash?

I love, love, love butternut squash and if you’re also a fan you might like to see 14 Favorite Butternut Squash Recipes or My Favorite Winter Squash Recipes.

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Yield: 6 servings

Pasta with Butternut Squash

Prep Time 10 minutes

Cook Time 30 minutes

Total Time 1 hour 40 minutes

This delicious Pasta with Butternut Squash also has mushrooms and goat cheese adds a creamy flavor boost. And you can make this tasty butternut squash pasta with Fiber Gourmet Light Penne if you'd like to reduce the carbs!

Ingredients

• 16 oz. brown Crimini Mushrooms (also called Baby Bellas or Baby Portobellas)
• 1 T + 1 T olive oil
• 1 lb butternut squash, cut into pieces about 3/4 inches square (they don’t all need to be the same size and shape)
• 1/2 tsp. salt plus freshly ground black pepper to taste, to season the squash as it cooks
• 2 cups pasta (Use Fiber Gourmet Light Penne for fewer carbs)
• 1/2 cup diagonal sliced scallions (green onions), green part only
• generous amount salt for pasta cooking water, at least 1 tsp. (The pasta doesn’t absorb all that salt, but it will taste flat without it.)
• 4 oz. goat cheese, or slightly more (see notes)
• freshly-grated Parmesan for serving, optional

Instructions

1. (If you’re cutting up a whole squash rather than starting with pre-cut cubes, I would do that first, before you start to cook the mushrooms. Here is How to Peel and Cut Up a Butternut Squash for anyone who hasn’t done it.)
2. Wash the Cremini Mushrooms and cut into thick slices.
3. Heat 1 tablespoon olive oil in a large non-stick frying pan over medium-high heat, add mushrooms, and saute until they’re nicely browned, about 6-8 minutes.
4. While mushrooms cook start the pasta water boiling. adding a generous amount of salt, and measure out 2 cups of pasta.
5. Cut the butternut squash into cubes about 3/4 inches square or slightly larger.
6. When the mushrooms are nicely browned, remove them to a bowl.
7. Add the other tablespoon of olive oil and when it’s hot add the butternut squash and cook, turning every few minutes, until the squash is nicely browned and cooked through, about 10 minutes.
8. Season squash with the salt and freshly ground black pepper as it cooks. (Depending on how hot your stove is, you may need to turn the heat to medium.)
9. Add the pasta to the boiling water when you start cooking the squash.
10. Cook pasta 10 minutes from the time it comes to a boil, or until al dente.
11. While the squash cooks, diagonally slice the scallions and measure out goat cheese.
12. When the squash is browned and cooked through, add the mushrooms back into the frying pan, along with any accumulate liquid.
13. Turn heat to low to keep it warm without cooking more.
14. When the pasta is cooked to al-dente (still slightly chewy), scoop out 1/2 cup pasta cooking water and then drain pasta into a colander placed in the sink.
15. Put drained pasta back into the pot you cooked it in, stir in the goat cheese, and let it melt for about a minute.
16. Add some of the pasta water, as much as you need to feel like the cheese had made kind of a sauce.
17. When cheese is melted, gently stir the cheese-coated pasta into the squash and mushrooms.
18. You can add the rest of the pasta water at this point if you think you need it; I thought it was “saucy” enough without any more water.
19. Gently stir in sliced scallions and serve hot, with Parmesan cheese to add at the table if desired.

Notes

Nutritional information for this recipe is for traditional pasta, but if you make the recipe with Fiber Gourmet Light Penne it will be about 19 net carbs per serving.

You can use Feta if you’re not a fan of the more pungent goat cheese.

Recipe created by Kalyn.

Nutrition Information

Yield

6

Serving Size

1
Amount Per Serving Calories 228Total Fat 7gSaturated Fat 3gTrans Fat 0gUnsaturated Fat 3gCholesterol 9mgSodium 404mgCarbohydrates 32gFiber 5gSugar 4gProtein 10g

Nutrition information is automatically calculated by the Recipe Plug-In I am using. I am not a nutritionist and cannot guarantee 100% accuracy, since many variables affect those calculations.

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Low-Carb Diet / Low-Glycemic Diet / South Beach Diet Suggestions:
This Pasta with Butternut Squash would be limited to Phase 2 or 3 for the original South Beach Diet, and it’s important to use whole wheat or whole grain pasta for South Beach. With pasta and butternut squash, this is high in carbs for a low-carb diet, but if you make it with Fiber Gourmet Light Penne, it will lower the carb count to about 19 net carbs per serving.

Find More Recipes Like This One:
Use Pasta to find more recipes like this one. Use the Diet Type Index to find more recipes suitable for a specific eating plan. You might also like to follow Kalyn’s Kitchen on Pinterest, on Facebook, on Instagram, on TikTok, or on YouTube to see all the good recipes I’m sharing there.

Historical Notes for this Recipe:
This recipe for Pasta with Butternut Squash was first posted in 2013. It was last updated with more information in 2024.

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